At last,the final post from Kenya, and now I can't wait to get going. To even say that makes me so sad as I love East Africa in principle but just haven't enjoyed Nairobi- in case you haven't noticed by now!
I want to record some of the happier memories that I will be taking away with me. They have to be based around the members of the group. They are so strong and brave and even though the group has ejected them as of last week, they are starting again with nothing. As Joyce, the ex treasurer said to me " Heather, I have been working to counsel those with HIV for 20 years and did it without a penny. I can and will do it again". The courage and determination of these women just moves me to tears and I always find myself wishing that there was more that I could do to assist. However, they survived very well without me and will do so again.
I'm doing all this backwards, but we had a meeting with the donor last Friday and unfortunately she was in support of our glorious chairman. He is very good at self promotion and has wonderful skills in making himself sound good. If only he could turn it to something legal! Anyway, I would have believed him too if it was me so can't really blame her. Then an election was held for the committe members. The chairman has been very busy bribing and intimidating members, so of course they all voted him in. They also booted out the secretary, the treasurer and the 2 volunteers that I have been working with, and put others in their place that will allow himto do as he wishes with the money and so on. Hence the reason that these hard working women now find themselves without a job or any money coming in. 2 of them are widows with no one to assist them and they have 9 children between them. Life really sucks sometimes and its just not fair. But then I guess you all knew that anyway!
Anyway, happy memories! Walking with the volunteers, doing home visits and talking of everything under the sun. Sitting in the office, discussing sex lives and the price of eggs! Laughter and singing at every opportunity, despite going home to no food and hungry children. Seeing some members who are sick slowly returning to health and knowing that they are going to get better, at least this time. Providing relaxation therapy and seeing it really make a difference.
Anyway its time to go and make some memories elsewhere.
Till next time.
Saturday 28 June 2008
Saturday 14 June 2008
Death approaches early in Africa
I wanted to use this blog to update on some of the members. So many of them have been helped by the kind donations from the UK, but there are others that money can no longer help.
Miriam was one of the first members that I met when I came to Kenya and she was very sick at the time. That was sorted out but now she is "down" or sick once more. I think that her TB has returned and there is something else wrong but I can't tell what. She had to go back to the hospital the other day- I had to give her the money for bus fares as our bloody chairman has spent all the money, damn him!- but the hospital are not saying what is wrong with her. That usually means that there is little that they can do for somebody. She looks dreadful and is very weak, hardly able to walk. I'm not sure what is going to happen to her. She is 24 and a prostitute, a fate that befalls many African women as they have no other way of making money.
Lydia is our other member who is dreadfully ill. She was in hospital about 3 weeks ago with TB and was eventually released home. Now she is suffering from meningitis. She is taking medication but she is not able to eat anything for about 2 weeks now, meaning that her ARV's will not work and she will fall prey to all other infections that are around. We visited her on Friday and she was barely conscious that anyone was there. I think she will almost certainly die. I suggested that we have her admitted back to hospital to have IV food, but the hospitals here are not like Western hospitals. If they think that she may die and not be able to pay her bill, they will just leave her to die on the floor of the corridor, unless someone is kind enough to pick her up. She will also pick up more disease outside the hospital than in it, so it is safer to leave her at home. Her mother takes care of her and is very worried about her. Lydia is 26.
I also wanted to comment on the attitudes of African men towards HIV. Most of them carry a very great stigma and will not let anyone know if they are positive. So many of them even refuse to be tested, and will not take drugs if they find out that they are positive. If a man finds out he is positive he will always blame his wife, although African men have up to 20 girlfriends when they are married and usually don't use condoms. We visited a non member the other day who wanted advice. Her husband is very sick, constantly vomiting and having diarhorrea, but refuses to go to the hospital. He also beats her every day when she takes her ARV's as he has instructed her not to take them and she refuses. He insists that the drugs will kill her! This is a common view among Africans especially men. They also believe that they are not suffering from HIV, they are suffering from witchcraft, someone has put a bad spell on them, AIDS is propaganda from the government and all sorts of nonsense. And this is as likely to come from educated men as from uneducated men!! No surprise then, that death comes early in Africa.
Miriam was one of the first members that I met when I came to Kenya and she was very sick at the time. That was sorted out but now she is "down" or sick once more. I think that her TB has returned and there is something else wrong but I can't tell what. She had to go back to the hospital the other day- I had to give her the money for bus fares as our bloody chairman has spent all the money, damn him!- but the hospital are not saying what is wrong with her. That usually means that there is little that they can do for somebody. She looks dreadful and is very weak, hardly able to walk. I'm not sure what is going to happen to her. She is 24 and a prostitute, a fate that befalls many African women as they have no other way of making money.
Lydia is our other member who is dreadfully ill. She was in hospital about 3 weeks ago with TB and was eventually released home. Now she is suffering from meningitis. She is taking medication but she is not able to eat anything for about 2 weeks now, meaning that her ARV's will not work and she will fall prey to all other infections that are around. We visited her on Friday and she was barely conscious that anyone was there. I think she will almost certainly die. I suggested that we have her admitted back to hospital to have IV food, but the hospitals here are not like Western hospitals. If they think that she may die and not be able to pay her bill, they will just leave her to die on the floor of the corridor, unless someone is kind enough to pick her up. She will also pick up more disease outside the hospital than in it, so it is safer to leave her at home. Her mother takes care of her and is very worried about her. Lydia is 26.
I also wanted to comment on the attitudes of African men towards HIV. Most of them carry a very great stigma and will not let anyone know if they are positive. So many of them even refuse to be tested, and will not take drugs if they find out that they are positive. If a man finds out he is positive he will always blame his wife, although African men have up to 20 girlfriends when they are married and usually don't use condoms. We visited a non member the other day who wanted advice. Her husband is very sick, constantly vomiting and having diarhorrea, but refuses to go to the hospital. He also beats her every day when she takes her ARV's as he has instructed her not to take them and she refuses. He insists that the drugs will kill her! This is a common view among Africans especially men. They also believe that they are not suffering from HIV, they are suffering from witchcraft, someone has put a bad spell on them, AIDS is propaganda from the government and all sorts of nonsense. And this is as likely to come from educated men as from uneducated men!! No surprise then, that death comes early in Africa.
Saturday 7 June 2008
Corrupt bloody Kenya
You can refer to the email as to the reasons for the title of this post. I'm not sure why it bothers me so much but this place is the most corrupt that I've ever come across. And no one is clear from it- it exists in politics, in the police. In a country where you can't trust the police or the government, who do you turn to in times of trouble? And of course as I already said, its affecting our wee project and may well get in the way painfully! The general public don't really bat an eyelid, they just accept it but for someone who is coming from a country where the politicians are scrutinised and questioned, its hard to think its OK.
I knew last week that there was something that I'd forgotten to add. When I got back to Oldy, I found that one of the teachers had lost her husband so we went to the funeral. It was a different experience! For a start the widow did not join the general throng, she sat separately in a manyatta (she's Masai) and everyone went to her to pay their respects. Food and chai were given, then songs and hymns sung over the deceased who lay in a shiny white open coffin decorated with purple ribbons- Africans love ribbons! The women all shrouded them selves in bright kangas and then we filed past the coffin to pay our last respects. The women left at this point and each collected a single rose on the way to the maize field where he was to be buried. Then the men followed with the coffin which was spaded over with dirt. The women went forward with their roses and placed each one singly on top so that at the end it was covered with roses. It was all very simple but very affecting, especially as Africans shout and cry very publicly at times of loss which I found quite nerve racking!
But back to Kenya. The members of the project are continuing to be happy that they have some way of working and supporting themselves, and getting some food for their children. That makes all the difficulties worth while. And we have a set and proper programme for counselling and for home visits (on Fridays we have to go to Kawangware which is 6 miles away- and there is no money for bus fares so Shanks pony it is!!). So we are more organised and also starting to be known within the local community which is a good thing. So its not all bad despite my doom and gloom view point at times!
Well, I'm going to close now. Its Saturday, I actually have the day off to be a tourist and with that in mind I'm off to the Langata Giraffe Centre where they take care of orphaned giraffes. No idea how to get there but isnt that part of the fun?!
Till next time x
I knew last week that there was something that I'd forgotten to add. When I got back to Oldy, I found that one of the teachers had lost her husband so we went to the funeral. It was a different experience! For a start the widow did not join the general throng, she sat separately in a manyatta (she's Masai) and everyone went to her to pay their respects. Food and chai were given, then songs and hymns sung over the deceased who lay in a shiny white open coffin decorated with purple ribbons- Africans love ribbons! The women all shrouded them selves in bright kangas and then we filed past the coffin to pay our last respects. The women left at this point and each collected a single rose on the way to the maize field where he was to be buried. Then the men followed with the coffin which was spaded over with dirt. The women went forward with their roses and placed each one singly on top so that at the end it was covered with roses. It was all very simple but very affecting, especially as Africans shout and cry very publicly at times of loss which I found quite nerve racking!
But back to Kenya. The members of the project are continuing to be happy that they have some way of working and supporting themselves, and getting some food for their children. That makes all the difficulties worth while. And we have a set and proper programme for counselling and for home visits (on Fridays we have to go to Kawangware which is 6 miles away- and there is no money for bus fares so Shanks pony it is!!). So we are more organised and also starting to be known within the local community which is a good thing. So its not all bad despite my doom and gloom view point at times!
Well, I'm going to close now. Its Saturday, I actually have the day off to be a tourist and with that in mind I'm off to the Langata Giraffe Centre where they take care of orphaned giraffes. No idea how to get there but isnt that part of the fun?!
Till next time x
Tuesday 3 June 2008
Blogging again from Tanzania
See the email as to the reasons why I'm blogging in Tanzania!!
Anyway I arrived here on Friday and I'm heading back to Kenya today. I stayed in Oldy of course, with my lovely family who welcomed me like a Queen, with open arms. It was lovely to see them all again and I discovered that Mama Last is pregnant again. She has offered the baby to me as a "mtoto jifty"- a gift child,in the hope that I will take it back to Scotland and raise it! Needless to say I've refused but its the nearest I've come to having that "jumper baby"that Mands is always talking about.....!
I had the strangest feeling when we crossed the border from Kenya to Tanzania- I felt immediately that I was home- isn't that the strangest thing? Anyway its underlined for me that the Africa I prefer is not the dirt and noise of the cities- its the wide open landscapes with acacia trees everywhere and no human presence except the distant bright spot that is a Masai moran ( or warrior), wearing the traditional checked blue, purple and red blankets that are their clothes, walking to his manyatta (the Masai walk dozens of miles together and call it a short stroll!)
I should really say something on stuff in Nairobi. The work has not really chnaged, although it remains for me difficult and frustrating. We got a delivery from the Kenya Red Cross last week- we got registered with them through my insistence, I might add. Anyway we had 50 kilos opf porridge lying around the office for 3 days until I asked why it hadn't been divided and distributed. There was no good answer so I threw yet another tantrum and insisited that it be done immeditately which it was. People are literally starving to death in front of our eyes while there is food lying around! I am also investigating the large supermarkets and other charities for food donations- if I wasn't doing it no one would! The lethargy and apathy that is present here is shocking at times. I can't bring myself to be too harsh as these people are seriously sick but sometimes I could bring their end about a little quicker!!
Talking of sickness we have an outbreak of typhoid in the slums. Its not really surprising as conditions are horrifically dirty, but its awful to see such a disease present when the cure is so simple. There are so many people in Kenya with no access to clean water and the bloody government does nothing about it. We have clean water brought in every day but it doesn't last long with so many people needing to drink and wash, so often folks have to fall back on other means. And the slums are so dirty. The concept of rubbish collection has not yet reached Africa, so piles of nameless rubbish are left around to rot as they will. The smell is incredible, and the children often hunt through it looking for something to eat. You have to jump the rivers of filth as you are walking around and my greatest fear is that I'm going to fall in one day!! Oh and the toilets. Most people live in one room, divided by a curtain, one side for sleeping,one for eating. The cooking is done in the street on small charcoal stoves. These rooms house families of 8 or 10 people and they don't have toilets. These are outside, 3 between maybe 150 people. Add to this that they are squat toilets that don't lush, and that the people who are using them are often ill and have stomach conditions- well, they are pretty awful. I've used them once or twice while doing home visits, but now I've become like a camel and I wait all day till I get home. Who knows what you could catch otherwise!
I got the news last night that Caroline has had her baby. I'm excited and proud and just a little sad that I'm not there for the happy event- except in spirit! When I think of all the life that I'm missing out on while I'm here and the fact that she and Ezzy will have a 2 year old boy instead of a baby by the time I see him- its a temptation at the lowest points to jack it in and go home. Thank God I'm tough enough to see it through!!
I think thats it for now. I always forget what I was going to say until I get home and I think,oh bugger,I should have mentioned this and that. Its impossible to tell you folks everything, and some of it you wouldn't believe anyway!
See ya next time, Constant Reader! x
Anyway I arrived here on Friday and I'm heading back to Kenya today. I stayed in Oldy of course, with my lovely family who welcomed me like a Queen, with open arms. It was lovely to see them all again and I discovered that Mama Last is pregnant again. She has offered the baby to me as a "mtoto jifty"- a gift child,in the hope that I will take it back to Scotland and raise it! Needless to say I've refused but its the nearest I've come to having that "jumper baby"that Mands is always talking about.....!
I had the strangest feeling when we crossed the border from Kenya to Tanzania- I felt immediately that I was home- isn't that the strangest thing? Anyway its underlined for me that the Africa I prefer is not the dirt and noise of the cities- its the wide open landscapes with acacia trees everywhere and no human presence except the distant bright spot that is a Masai moran ( or warrior), wearing the traditional checked blue, purple and red blankets that are their clothes, walking to his manyatta (the Masai walk dozens of miles together and call it a short stroll!)
I should really say something on stuff in Nairobi. The work has not really chnaged, although it remains for me difficult and frustrating. We got a delivery from the Kenya Red Cross last week- we got registered with them through my insistence, I might add. Anyway we had 50 kilos opf porridge lying around the office for 3 days until I asked why it hadn't been divided and distributed. There was no good answer so I threw yet another tantrum and insisited that it be done immeditately which it was. People are literally starving to death in front of our eyes while there is food lying around! I am also investigating the large supermarkets and other charities for food donations- if I wasn't doing it no one would! The lethargy and apathy that is present here is shocking at times. I can't bring myself to be too harsh as these people are seriously sick but sometimes I could bring their end about a little quicker!!
Talking of sickness we have an outbreak of typhoid in the slums. Its not really surprising as conditions are horrifically dirty, but its awful to see such a disease present when the cure is so simple. There are so many people in Kenya with no access to clean water and the bloody government does nothing about it. We have clean water brought in every day but it doesn't last long with so many people needing to drink and wash, so often folks have to fall back on other means. And the slums are so dirty. The concept of rubbish collection has not yet reached Africa, so piles of nameless rubbish are left around to rot as they will. The smell is incredible, and the children often hunt through it looking for something to eat. You have to jump the rivers of filth as you are walking around and my greatest fear is that I'm going to fall in one day!! Oh and the toilets. Most people live in one room, divided by a curtain, one side for sleeping,one for eating. The cooking is done in the street on small charcoal stoves. These rooms house families of 8 or 10 people and they don't have toilets. These are outside, 3 between maybe 150 people. Add to this that they are squat toilets that don't lush, and that the people who are using them are often ill and have stomach conditions- well, they are pretty awful. I've used them once or twice while doing home visits, but now I've become like a camel and I wait all day till I get home. Who knows what you could catch otherwise!
I got the news last night that Caroline has had her baby. I'm excited and proud and just a little sad that I'm not there for the happy event- except in spirit! When I think of all the life that I'm missing out on while I'm here and the fact that she and Ezzy will have a 2 year old boy instead of a baby by the time I see him- its a temptation at the lowest points to jack it in and go home. Thank God I'm tough enough to see it through!!
I think thats it for now. I always forget what I was going to say until I get home and I think,oh bugger,I should have mentioned this and that. Its impossible to tell you folks everything, and some of it you wouldn't believe anyway!
See ya next time, Constant Reader! x
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